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A. G. FEDER COOKING RANGE Feb. 7, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 11,1952 s R r m M Na K m4 0 F 7 m r a A k 0 m 2 A WWWW Feb. 7, 1956 A. G.FEDER 2,733,706

COOKING RANGE Filed Feb. 11, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 d? 048 if "1: f viaE?- I \Y 4! 3 Maw; we 2 I N V EN TOR AA7/l0l? 6. 20.47

wwwgw ATTORNEYS United States Patent COOKING RANGE Arthur G. Feder,Detroit, Mich., assignor to Welbilt Cor- .poration, a corporation ofMichigan Application February 11, 1952, Serial No. 270,915

1 Claim. ((11. ,126200) This invention relates to cooking ranges of thetype having surface heating elements on the top wall and having an ovenpositioned below the top wall.

In ranges of the above general type, it is desirable to provide meansenabling a user to view the contents of the oven without the necessityof opening the oven door, and thereby causing a drop in the oventemperature. In an elfort to accomplish the above results, manymanufacturers of cooking ranges provide a sight opening through the ovendoor. This proposed solution to the problem has not proved satisfactoryfor two reasons, which are: 1) an opening in the oven door doesnotprovide a clear unobstructed view of the interior of the oven from frontto back; and (2) the user is required to stoop or kneel .on the floor atthe front of the range in order to look through the sight opening in theoven door.

With the above in view it is an object of this invention to provide acooking range with a sight opening located to enable viewing theinterior of the oven compartment throughout substantially its fulllength from a normal standing position at the front side of the range.Morevparticularly the present invention contemplates a rangeconstruction wherein the top of the range has an opening which extendsfore and aft of the oven compartment, and is visually open to theinterior of the oven compartment.

It is anothenobject of this invention to locate the sight opening in thetop wall of the range in a position where it does not interfere with thelocation of surface heating elements on the top wall of the rangedirectly above the oven, and also where it does not materially restrictthe area of the working surface provided by the top wall of the range.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a range structure ofthe type set forth above with means for illuminating the interior of theoven compartment so that the contents of the compartment maybe clearlyviewed through the sight opening in the top wall of the range.

vThe foregoing as well as other objects will be made more apparent asthis description proceeds, especially when considered in connection withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cooking range embodying the featuresof this invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the range shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 ofFigure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 44 ofFigure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the illuminatingmeans for the interior of the oven compartment; and

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of several 2,733,706 PatentedFeb. 7, 1956 parts of the frame structure employed to secure the transparent panels to the oven compartment. I

The numeral 10 in Figure 1 of the drawings designates a cooking rangecomprising a shell 11 having a top wall 12, side walls 13 and a frontwall 14. The range specifically illustrated in the drawings is of thedivided top type; or in other words, has a working surface 15 locatedbetween two pairs of surface heating elements 16, which in thepresent'instance, are in the form of gas burners.

More particularly the top wall 12 of the shell 11 is formed withopenings 17 at-opposite sides of the working surface 15, and theseopenings extend in ,a rearward direction from the front wall .14 of theshell. A pair of panels 18 are respectively removably supported withinthe openings 17 with the top surfaces thereof substantially flush withthe working surfacelS on the top wall 12 of-the range. Each panel 18 hasa front opening 19 and a rear opening 20 for respectively receiving theburners 16 of each pair. The pairs of burners 16 are respectivelysupported on suitable rests 21 located below the top wall- 12 .of therange within an enclosure commonly known as a burner box 22. The rests21 also form supports for the usual mixing tubes .23, which connecttherespective burners to a source of fuel supply.

The burner box 122 is formed by .a partition 24 suitably supportedwithin.the confinestof the shell 11' below the top wall 12 in verticalspaced relation to the latter and providing a bottom wall for the burnerbox 22. An oven compartment 25 is enclosed by the shell 11 and occupiesa position below the partition or bottom wall 24 of the burner box 22.In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the oven compartment .25extends directly beneath the pair of heating elements 16 at the righthand side of the range and the top wall 26 of the oven compartmentassumes a position in vertical spaced relation to the bottom wall 24 ofthe burner box 22. In addition the oven compartment 25 extendsrearwa'rdly from the front wall 14 of the shell to a position adjacentthe rear wall 27 of the shell, .and an .opening 28 is formed in thefront wall 14 in registration with .theiopen front end .of the ovencompartment 25. The opening 28 provides an access opening to the ovencompartment, and is normally closed by a door 29 hingedl'y connected inthe usual manner along its bottom edge to .theshell 11. It isto beunderstood that the :walls of the oven'c'ompartment 25 including theaccess door 29 are effectively insulated by a suitable thermalinsulation in order to reduce-heat loss to a minimum, and any acceptableconstruction may be provided for this purpose.

In accordance with the .present invention the interior of the. ovencompartment 25'r'nay be readily viewed throughout the full lengthof'the'oven compartment from a normal standing position at the front side ofthe range. This is accomplished by providing a sight opening 30 in thetop wall 12 of the shell 11 and by visually connectingthe opening 30 tothe interior of the oven compartment 25; In detail the opening 30 iselongated in the direction of length of the oven compartment '25, and isformed in the top wall 12 adjacent the inner edge of the opening 17 atthe right hand side of the range. As shown in Figure 3 of the drawingsthe oven compartment 25 is of a width to extend laterally beneath theopening 30 so that this opening overlies the top wall 26 of the ovencompartment.

In practice the top wall 12 of the shell 11 is embossed downwardly andthe opening 30 is formed in the embossed portion to provide a seat 31around the perimeter of the opening 30 for a transparent panel 32. Thedepth of the embossed portion approximates the thickness of the panel32, so that the top surface of this panel lies ICC flush with thesurface of the top wall 12. Hence the transparent panel 32 forms, ineffect, a continuation of the working surface 15, and does notmaterially reduce the effective area of this surface. A rectangularframe 33 surrounds the transparent panel 32, and is provided at spacedpoints -with clips 34, which extend through slots formed in the seats31, and may be bent laterally outwardly to secure the panel 32 in place.I g

Referring again to Figure 3 of the drawings, it will be noted that thebottom wall 24 of the burner box and the top Wall 26 of the ovencompartment are respectively formed with vertically aligned openings 35and 36. These openings arealso visually aligned with the opening 30 inthe top Wall 12 of the shell 11, and it will be seen from both Figures 3and 4 of the drawings that the space in the burner box'22 between thesight opening 30 and the opening is visually unobstructed, so that arelatively wide angle of vision into the oven co1npartment is alfordedfrom a position above the top of the range. I I

The openings35 and 36 are closed by transparent panels 37 and 38supported in vertical spaced relationship between the walls 24 and 26 bya frame structure 39. As shown in Figure 6 of the drawings the framestructure 39 has an inwardly opening channel-shaped clamping member 40which surrounds the transparent panelsand is formed of two parts 41 and42 to enable assembling the samewith the transparent panels. A rim 43 issecured in the channel-shaped clampingmernber- 40 at the bottom of thelatter, and provides a seat for the transparent panel 38. The-rim 43 hasa depending laterally outwardly flared flange 44 which cooperates withthe adjacent part of the clamping member 40 to form a channel forretaining a resilient thermal insulating material45 in place. Thematerial 45 provides a heat seal for the joint around the opening 36,and this result is accomplished by fashioning an upturned flange 46 onthe top wall 26. The flange 46 extends continuously around the opening36 and is positioned to be engaged throughout its length by the sealingmaterial 45.

The transparent panels 37 and 38 are held in vertically spacedrelationship by an outwardly opening channelshaped spacer 47 positionedwithin the clamping member 40 between the .marginal edges of thetransparent panels. The top flange of the spacer 47 provides aseat forthe transparent panel 37, and-a continuous rim 48 is clamped between.the top flange of the channel-shaped member40 and the adjacent marginaledge portion of the panel 37. The rim 48 has an upwardly extendingflange 49 which isflared laterally outwardly-and abuts a dependingflange 50 turned downwardly from the marginal edgeof the opening 35 inthewall 24.

Suitablelugs 5 1 are: secured to the outer-side of the clamping member40 at spaced'points and these lugs are clamped to brackets 52 welded orotherwise fastened to the. top wall 26 of the oven compartment. The lugs51, are secured to the brackets 52 by fastener elements 53 and thearrangement issuch that when the fastener elements53 arev tightened,.the frame structure 39 together with the glass panels is forceddownwardly relative to the wall 26. Hence the upstanding ,flange 46surrounding the opening 36 in the top wall 26 of the oven compartment ispressed againstxthe resilient insulating material 45 to provide anefficient seal regardless of any inaccuracies that may occurin theframestructure.

It follows from the above that the sight opening 30 in the top wall 12of the shell is visually aligned with the transparent panels 37 and 38.The openings 35 and 36 respectively closed by the transparent panels 37'and 38 may be of the same general size as the sight opening 30. In anycase the openings 35 and 36 also extend in the direction of length ofthe oven compartment 25, and afford a clear view of the interior of theoven throughout substantially the full length of the latter. This viewis obtainable through the sight opening 30 from a normal standingposition at the front of the'range, and without the necessity ofproviding expensive and complicated optical arrangements.

In Figure 5 of the drawings, provision is made in the form of anelectric light bulb 55 for illuminating the interior of the ovencompartment. In detail an electrical socket 56 is suitably secured tothe rear wall of the oven compartment adjacent the top of the latter, sothat the interior of the oven is illuminated without producing a glarein the region of the transparent panels or otherwise interfering withviewing the interior of the oven through said panels. The socket 52 mayhave the usual electrical connections associated therewith for co actionwith an electrical supply plug.

What I claim as my invention'is: I

A stove having a flat, elongated horizontal top stove wall providing aworking surface, said wall having burner openings at opposite ends, asecond flat horizontal wall spaced substantially beneath said top walland defining a burner compartment therewith, burners in the ends of saidcompartment beneath said burner openings, an oven in said stoveextending from one end thereof beneath the burners thereat to a pointintermediate said burner openings, said oven having a top wall spaceddownwardly from said second wall, insulation between said top oven walland said second Wall, said top oven wall and said second wall havingelongated registering openings therein extending substantially fromfront to rear of said stove and located between said burners, a doubleglazed horizontal insulating window in the space provided by said twoopenings including sealing means engaging said top oven wall and saidsecond wall, said top stove wall having an elongated opening inregistration with the window in the top of the oven, and a-horizontalwindow in said last mentioned opening constituting a part of the workingsurface of the stove and completely separated from the window in saidoven to leave said burner compartment completely unobstructed.

Germany Oct. 2. 1902

